Editorials:

Kathleen Dracup and Christopher W. Bryan-Brown

The Law of Unintended Consequences
Am J Crit Care 2004 13(2): 97-99. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Letters to the Editor:

Nancy L. Szaflarski

LETTER TO THE EDITORS
Am J Crit Care 2004 13(2): 100-101. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Nancy L. Szaflarski, Patricia Potter, Marilyn Schallom, Susan Davis, Carrie Sona, and Maryellen McSweeney

LETTER TO THE EDITORS
Am J Crit Care 2004 13(2): 169-170. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Corrections:

CORRECTIONS
Am J Crit Care 2004 13(2): 101. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Aspects of Critical Care Nursing:

Linda M. Tamburri, Roseann DiBrienza, Rochelle Zozula, and Nancy S. Redeker

Nocturnal Care Interactions with Patients in Critical Care Units
Sleep deprivation is common in critically ill patients and may have long-term effects on health outcomes. These authors 1) examine the frequency, pattern, and types of nocturnal care interactions with patients in 4 critical care units, 2) analyze the relationships among these interactions and patients' variables and site of admission to the ICU, and 3) analyze the differences in patterns of nocturnal care activities among the 4 units.
Am J Crit Care 2004 13(2): 102-113. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [CE Test]  

Pain Management:

Lesley B. Milgrom, Jo Ann Brooks, Rong Qi, Karen Bunnell, Susie Wuestefeld, and Daniel Beckman

Pain Levels Experienced With Activities After Cardiac Surgery
Acute pain is common after cardiac surgery and can keep patients from participating in activities that prevent postoperative complications. Assessing and understanding pain are vital for providing satisfactory pain control and optimizing recovery. These authors describe pain levels for 5 activities expected of patients after postoperative days 1 to 6 and changes in pain levels after chest tube removal and extubation.
Am J Crit Care 2004 13(2): 116-125. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Céline Gélinas, Martine Fortier, Chantal Viens, Lise Fillion, and Kathleen Puntillo

Pain Assessment and Management in Critically Ill Intubated Patients: a Retrospective Study
The authors describe 1) pain indicators used by nurses and physicians for pain assessment, 2) pain management (pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions) undertaken by nurses to relieve pain, and 3) pain indicators used by nurses to verify the effectiveness of pain management in intubated patients.
Am J Crit Care 2004 13(2): 126-136. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [CE Test]  

Psychological Aspects of Critical Care:

Candace C. Cherrington, Debra K. Moser, Terry A. Lennie, and Carol W. Kennedy

Illness Representation After Acute Myocardial Infarction: Impact On In-Hospital Recovery
Examination of the interaction of physical and psychosocial factors related to morbidity and mortality after myocardial infarction is needed to identify risk factors for poorer recovery from and adaptation to myocardial infarction. In this study, the authors examine the relationship between illness representation in 49 patients at the time of myocardial infarction and the occurrence of in-hospital complications and determine whether anxiety and depression mediate this relationship.
Am J Crit Care 2004 13(2): 136-145. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [CE Test]  

Sharon McKinley, Jane Stein-Parbury, Afsaneh Chehelnabi, and Judy Lovas

Assessment of Anxiety in Intensive Care Patients By Using the Faces Anxiety Scale
Anxiety is difficult to detect in patients receiving mechanical ventilation because clinical signs are confounded and patients often cannot respond to anxiety measures. Most patients can respond to the single-item Faces Anxiety Scale. These authors assess the validity of this Scale, the frequency and severity of state anxiety, and correlates of anxiety in intensive care patients.
Am J Crit Care 2004 13(2): 146-152. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Quality of Life:

Nan Hou, Michelle A. Chui, George J. Eckert, Neil B. Oldridge, Michael D. Murray, and Susan J. Bennett

Relationship of Age and Sex to Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Heart Failure
Information on the relationships of patients' age and sex and the interactions of those 2 factors to health-related quality of life (HRQL) and to changes in HRQL over time can be incorporated into critical care nurses' assessments, so that realistic goals can be established and appropriate interventions designed for specific, demographic populations. The authors examine differences in HRQL among 4 groups of patients with heart failure on the basis of age (<65 years and >65 years) and sex and evaluate relationships of age and sex to changes in HRQL during 6 months.
Am J Crit Care 2004 13(2): 153-161. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Cardiology Casebook:

Laurie G. Futterman and Louis Lemberg

The Resurrection of Spironolactone on Its Golden Anniversary
Am J Crit Care 2004 13(2): 162-165. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Acknowledgment of Reviewers:

Acknowledgment of Reviewers
Am J Crit Care 2004 13(2): 166. [Full Text] [PDF]  

ECG Puzzler:

Michele M. Pelter and Mary G. Adams

Nonischemic ST-Segment Elevation
Am J Crit Care 2004 13(2): 167-168. [Full Text] [PDF]  

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